Reflection
by Twilight Mistress-19
Summary: After Kagome spots Inuyasha and Kikyou together, she quickly leaves to sort out her feelings. What will become of her from the whole situation? In this story, her spirit undertakes the ultimate test as to whether or not she chooses to go on. Please R&R!
1. Chapter One: A Painful Memory

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, I wouldn't be sitting here writing fan fiction, now would I?

I was listening to depressing music when I came up with the idea for this story… So yeah… I hope you all like it!

_**Chapter One – A Painful Memory**_

Tears blurred her vision as she ran through the darkened forest, unable to think clearly, and didn't have the slightest idea of where she was going. Branches scraped against her frail body, which left cuts and bruises as well as some rips on her white, discolored, uniform shirt that stuck to her from being drenched with sweat. Though, she didn't seem to care. She just kept on running, her ebony hair flowing freely behind her with her swift movements as a gentle breeze blew past her, following the same path as the one she had left on. The only thing that held firm in her mind was the scene that she most dreaded to see… It clenched her heart with such an unbearable sorrow…

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_**FLASHBACK**_

_He stepped closer towards her, the ears on the top of his head twitching slightly as they slowly embraced in a hug, savoring the bitter sweet moment held between them. They both knew that time itself was their enemy, taunting them by making it so that they could never be together in the world of the living; the only way they could ever be together was if they faced death, hand in hand. Kagome was watching the two from behind a tree, trying so hard not to cry and fall to her knees in total defeat. It just wasn't fair. She was alive; Kikyou was dead. There was a big difference. Though, she was aware that she could never compete against the undead miko, judging by the fact that Inuyasha still loved and wanted to be with her. Suddenly, the silence was at last broken. _

"_Kikyou… I will be with you always… I am the only one who can protect you," Inuyasha spoke softly, unlike his usual, tempered self. His face was calm and held a hint of sadness reflected in his golden orbs he had for eyes, glimmering faintly in the moonlight. _

"_Then… Are you willing to go to hell with me?" Kikyou asked, looking up at him._

"_Yes… After Naraku is dead, I will do anything to be with you." Kagome felt her heart sink after hearing his answer, feeling as though it was shattering into millions of little pieces. How could he forget about her? How could he not even consider everything that they'd been through together? She had hoped at least he had a small place in his heart for her. But now it was clear that she must've been wrong. No longer able to watch, she quickly turned around and started to run at full speed, letting out small breaths of air from her mouth while hot, steamy tears rolled down her cheeks, trailing out from behind her._

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

* * *

'Inuyasha… He… He doesn't care about me at all… All I am to him is a shard detector; nothing more.' Kagome thought to herself solemnly. She was now running down a hill, not paying attention to any of her surroundings that she normally would've taken the time to admire, too upset about what she'd just seen. Suddenly, her right foot came into contact with a risen tree root and tripped over it, tumbling forward onto the cold, hard ground, and rolled the rest of the way to the bottom. Pain shot through her entire body as her head collided with a rock, and let out a small, pitiful cry, immediately feeling fresh, crimson blood gush out of the injury. Her whole world was spinning and she began to grow weary from the amount of blood loss. 'This was not how I planned to die… I didn't want to die alone with no one by my side to comfort me…' Just then, everything went black.


	2. Chapter Two: Completely Uncalled For

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Inuyasha! So don't even go there!

Author's Note: Eh… This chapter's not that great, but it'll do! At least you have another chapter to read!

.:Reviews:.

Akana – Thanks! Your stories are still a lot better than mine, though!

RodIldKitsune – Thank you for your honesty. I don't mind constructive criticism, because I want to able to do better in the future with my writing.

trekker4life – Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!

wanda1994 – Well, here it is! The next chapter!

.:End Of Reviews:.

Now… On with the chapter!

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_**.:Chapter Two – Completely Uncalled For:.**_

Kagome shot upright in her sleeping bag breathing heavily, the memory of her nightmare still fresh in her mind. She'd been having a lot of them lately, due to fact that there were only a few jewel shards remaining, but none of which that could compare to the one she just had. As the girl's breathing slowed to a normal rate and finally was able to calm down, she slowly took a look around at her surroundings.

She barely made out her friends' sleeping forms, shadow swallowing pretty much everything, but could see just enough to know their placements. Inuyasha, as always, was leaning up against the wall by the door, Sango somehow ended up leaning on Miroku's shoulder with him holding onto her, and Shippou was lying snugly against Kirara. If the schoolgirl wasn't so shaken up about her dream, she would've smiled. _Inuyasha… _Kagome glanced over at the resting hanyou and crawled over to him without thinking, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Although aware that he still loved Kikyou, at the moment, she didn't care. When she was with him, all of her worries and fears were cast away into nothing. He was her protector… Her savior… Sleep soon claimed her, but this time it wasn't interrupted by nightmares.

When morning came along, Kagome decided to go back to her era in the present, despite Inuyasha's regular protests. Seeing Inuyasha and Kikyou together the other night still bothered her. Many times did she wonder what he still saw in the former priestess. She was dead. She didn't even belong in the world of the living. And she also wanted him to die for her! If you love someone, shouldn't you want them to be happy? _Happy… That's right… He'd be happy if he was with her… _Kagome thought solemnly to herself.

Trees dotted the area, towering into the sky, letting only a few rays of golden sunlight filter through their branches and onto the life forms below. Birds perched themselves in a couple of the friendly trees while furry little creatures on the ground darted to and fro, side to side, playfully chasing after their siblings as butterflies fluttered about. The schoolgirl couldn't help but smile in delight. If there was such thing as paradise, this place seemed to be it.

In a matter of no time at all, Kagome reached the well and swung both legs over the side, allowing herself to drop and be engulfed by a familiar light that she knew would take her to the present era. She then quickly climbed up the ladder her grandpa had left there for her and made her way outside, expecting to first see her grandpa doing his usual activities. But instead, she saw her mom and her younger brother, Souta, huddled close together on the bench by the God Tree and knew immediately that something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. _What could've happened? _

"Mom?" Kagome rushed towards them, instantly noticing their tear-streaked faces which made her worry even more. She wasn't used to seeing them like this. They were always so cheerful and happy…

"Kagome…" her mom started, looking up at her daughter. "While you were gone, Grandpa passed away… He had a stroke late during the night and we didn't find out until early this morning…"

"N-No way… T-That can't be…"

"I'm sorry, dear… I know it's hard to accept… But…" Mrs. Higurashi stopped talking so she could control her tears, wanting to be strong for both of her children. It was her job as a parent to do so. Kagome sunk to her knees, feeling a lump rise in her throat and couldn't help but throw herself into her mother's arms, sobbing. She just couldn't believe it. _One minute he's fine and the next he's…_ Her mom did her best to comfort her by holding her and stroking her hair, but nothing seemed to lessen the pain. There was too much. Pain from being heartbroken and pain from losing a loved one. Everything was going wrong in the girl's life right now, and nothing seemed worth living for.


End file.
